Wilkinson levels criticism against NDP over struggling sawmills
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff
mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson is accusing the NDP government of inaction in the face of an ongoing decline in the forest sector.
In a telephone interview Monday, Wilkinson emphasized economic issues when asked for the top three matters the party is pursuing on behalf of voters in north-central B.C.
He said government revenues from the resource sector – stumpage fees from timber harvesting and royalties from oil and gas and mining – are on course to drop 30 per cent, “and they don’t plan to do anything about it.”
Concurrent with that, Wilkinson made note of the slowdown in the forest industry as sawmills invoke production curtailments in the face of softening lumber prices, timber supply constraints and the tariffs the United States has imposed on Canadian softwood lumber.
While the provincial government can do little to stem a slowing of the U.S. housing market and a consequent drop in the price of lumber, Wilkinson said there are still levers it can control, notably the mid-term timber supply.
“We’ve got to find out the right way to sort out the medium-term timber supply,” Wilkinson said.
“The industry needs some reliability, and all of the people working in the industry and all of the families across northern B.C. are entitled to know the prospects for the next three to five years in the forest industry. The NDP can do that and they haven’t done it.”
Canfor, Conifex and West Fraser have all cited log supply and log costs as reasons for curtailments.
“If the forest industry is facing a triple-whammy of the American duties, uncertainty of timber supply and low prices, this is bad news for northern B.C. and we’re saying to the NDP, it’s time for them to come to the table, it’s time for the NDP government to look out for the interests of British Columbians,” Wilkinson said.
Experts have said the drop in available
timber has been a function of most of the beetle-killed pine having been harvested and the massive wildfires over the last two summers and there is not much the provincial government can do. Wilkinson also took Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson to task for showing up in January at a blockade opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline put up south of Houston. — see ‘THERE IS, page 3
February cold was record setting
Citizen staff
How cold was it?
So cold that February was a record setter, according to Environment Canada.
The average temperature for the month was -18 C, breaking the old record of -14.5 C set in 1949. The normal average is -5 C.
Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon put the blame on an arctic air mass settling over the region starting in the first week – and staying.
“That happens every winter from time to time, however this time what was peculiar about it was it stuck around for so long,” he said.
“There were certain times in February when it did retreat a little bit but then it filled back in again and it remained quite cold and below average for the whole month.”
Feb. 4 was the coldest day when the low was -38.2 C and the high just -21.3 C.
However, the low was only the second coldest for that day. The record of -40.6 C was set in 1937.
Just one daily record fell, when the low for Feb. 25 dropped to -32.4, edging out the old mark of -32.2 set in 1922.
“Just one minimum daily temperature record broken, the story was the prolonged cold,” Sekhon said.
Looking ahead, Sekhon said March appears on track to cycle into more normal temperatures starting this weekend when the forecast is for a high of 4 C on Sunday. Normal highs for month are in the 3 C range.
“There is some relief on the horizon,” he said.
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson, seen here during a visit to Prince George in January 2018, says the NDP could do more to help the forest industry.
B.C. Parks seeking input on future of Ancient Forest, Slim Creek
Citizen staff
B.C. Parks is seeking public input on further development of the Ancient Forest and Slim Creek provincial parks.
In an online questionnaire, it’s seeking answers to such questions as the types of activities respondents like to see in those areas, without compromising conservation values, and what are the key management issues.
The information will be used to help draft a management plan.
Also known as Chun T’oh Whudujut (pronounced Chun Toe Wood-yu-jud) in the Lheidli T’enneh language, the Ancient Forest is located 120 kilometres east of Prince George, and is home to an inland temperate rainforest made up of hemlock and western cedar trees as old as 1,000 years.
Major features are a 500-metre wheelchair-friendly wooden boardwalk plus a further 2 1/2 kilometres of wood-planked walking trails built by volunteers.
The provincial park covers 11,190 hectares and an accompanying protected area accounts for a further 685 hectares. Both are being considered in the plan.
Neighbouring Slim Creek Park, found on the north side of Highway 16, is 506 hectares and has no established trails.
The plan is being developed in conjunction with the Lheidli T’enneh and identifying potential ceremonial and social sites will be part of the work. The deadline for providing comments via the online questionnaire is March 31. It is
found at www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/mgmtplns/ancient-forest-slim-creek/. Once a draft plan has been produced, it will be taken through a second public review later this year. A final plan should be completed and approved by spring 2020.
Prince George provincial court docket
From Prince George provincial court, Feb. 25 to March 1, 2019:
• Keenan Frank Michell Glen Sam (born 1991) was sentenced to 48 days in jail and ordered to pay $300 restitution for two counts of theft $5,000 or under, to three days in jail for impersonation with intent to avoid arrest and to time served for possession of stolen property under $5,000, willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and two counts of breaching probation, all committed in Prince George, and breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Kamloops. Sam was also sentenced to one year probation on the counts and was in custody for a total of 56 days in the counts prior to sentencing.
• Marcel James Abou (born 1985) was sentenced to 15 days in jail for breaching an undertaking or recognizance and to one year probation for breaching probation.
• Sean Michael Drosdoski (born 1971) was sentenced to time served and two years probation, issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, committed in Mackenzie. Drosdoski was in custody for 167 days prior to sentencing.
• Darryl David Vankuipers (born 1980) was
sentenced to one year in jail and fined $250 for driving without a driver’s licence under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Judy June French (born 1964) was sentenced to one year probation and fined $600 for fraud $5,000 or under.
• Steven John Russell Graves (born 1967) was sentenced to 21 days in jail, to be served on an intermittent basis, prohibited from driving for three years and fined $2,250 plus $339 in victim surcharges for three counts of driving while prohibited under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Leonard John Junior Joseph (born 1981) was sentenced to one year probation for causing a disturbance. Joseph was in custody for 23 days prior to sentencing.
• Charles Richard Edwards (born 1953) was sentenced to 21 days in jail, to be served on an intermittent basis, prohibited from driving for five years and fined $1,500 plus a $225 victim surcharge for driving while driver’s licence is suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act.
• Cyril Joseph Glenn Bennett (born 1962) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence and ordered to provide a DNA sample for assault and to time served for breaching an undertaking. Bennett was in custody for three days fol-
lowing his arrest.
• Kevin Melvin Seymour (born 1991) was sentenced to 17 days in jail for breaching probation. Seymour was in custody for one day prior to sentencing.
• Raymond Paris Robert Lorrain (born 1979) was sentenced to one year probation with a suspended sentence for theft $5,000 or under.
• Brent Terence Baker (born 1974) was sentenced to zero days for breaching probation. Baker was in custody for 35 days prior to sentencing.
• Chad Murphy Peter George (1997) was sentenced to 40 days in jail for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. George was in custody for two days prior to sentencing.
• Jason Maxie William McKeever (born 1979) was sentenced to four days in jail for breaching probation. McKeever was in custody for 15 days prior to sentencing.
• Nathan Paul Monk (born 1987) was sentenced to a 150-day conditional sentence order and one year probation and issued a two-year firearms prohibition for assaulting a peace officer, to a 30-day conditional sentence order for two counts of breaching an undertaking or recognizance, committed in Prince George and a 21-day conditional
sentence order for breaching probation, committed in Fort St. James. Monk was in custody for three days prior to sentencing.
• Cali Ronald Harold Peal-Barton (born 1994) was sentenced to 33 days in jail and one year probation and ordered to pay $518 restitution for theft $5,000 or under. Peal-Barton was in custody for seven days prior to sentencing.
• Brittney Winnie Alice Contois (born 1989) was prohibited from driving for one year and fined $500 plus a $75 victim surcharge for driving while prohibited or licence suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act and sentenced to zero days in jail for breaching probation.
• Dylon Antoine Felix John (born 1995) was sentenced to zero days in jail for two counts of breaching probation. John was in custody for 16 days prior to sentencing.
• Sheldon William Frederick Nipshank (born 1995) was sentenced to 14 days in jail for breaching probation and 12 days in jail for possessing stolen property under $5,000 and trespassing at night and to one year probation on the counts. Nipshank was in custody for 41 days prior to sentencing.
• Nathan Jonah Ott (born 1994) was issued a one-year $500 recognizance after allegation of causing fear of injury or damage.
B.C. Parks is seeking public input on the Ancient Forest and Slim Creek provincial parks. The Ancient Forest, also known as Chun T’oh Whudujut, is seen in June 2016.
Taseko wins right to drill for New Prosperity mine
Taseko Mines has scored a minor victory in an otherwise dismal series of defeats over its New Prosperity mine.
The proposed copper mine has been twice rejected by the federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
The project has been rejected on environmental grounds, but it is opposition by the Tsilhqot’in First Nation that appears to have been the main reason for the mine being rejected.
The mine lies just outside the area in which the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed aboriginal title and rights for the Tsilhqot’in in 2014.
The company continues to do battle with the federal government.
Meanwhile, the company is obliged to conduct exploration activities, as per a provincial certificate.
The provincial certificate requires that work be substantially started before a 2020 expiration date, which means the company is obliged to carry out some exploratory drilling.
In 2017, the provincial government issued Taseko a permit to conduct exploration work, as per its provincial environmental certificate.
The CEAA responded with what was tantamount to a cease and desist order and the Tsilhqot’in filed a judicial review of the provincial certificate.
A lower court upheld the permit, however so the Tsilhqot’in appealed.
On Friday, the Appeal Court of B.C. rejected the Tsilhqot’in appeal, upholding the lower court ruling. In doing so, the court noted that there were irreconcilable differences between the Tsilhqot’in, the company and provincial government, but that does not mean that efforts to consult
The process of consultation was adequate and reasonable in the circumstances. The fact that the Tsilhqot’in position was not accepted does not mean the process of consultation was inadequate or that the Crown did not act honourably.
— Appeal Court of B.C. ruling
the Tsilhqot’in were inadequate.
“In this case, reconciliation cannot be achieved because of an honest disagreement over whether the project should proceed,” the ruling states.
“The process of consultation was adequate and reasonable in the circumstances. The fact that the Tsilhqot’in position was not accepted does not mean the process of consultation was inadequate or that the Crown did not act honourably.”
The permit allows Taseko to clear 76 kilometres of new or modified road and trail, and drill 122 drill holes.
In a news release, the Tsilhqot’in said:
“The Nation will be reviewing all options to protect this critical cultural area.”
“The Tsilhqot’in Nation will not stand by as Taseko Mines Ltd. moves forward with a drilling program for a mine that was rejected twice by the Federal Government and, located within an area of proven Aboriginal rights,” said Joe Alphonse, tribal chairman of the Tsilhqot’in National Government.
New garbage collection calendar starts
Citizen staff
The city’s 2019-20 curbside garbage collection schedule has started. The schedule has been sent out with the latest round of utility bills and is available for download on the city website, www.
‘There is a lot of uncertainty’
— from page 1
princegeorge.ca. The city can also send out alerts via email or text to subscribers, notifying them from as little as one hour advance to up to a week, depending on the household’s preference. The new schedule came into effect on Friday.
Wilkinson said it was a sign that the NDP has taken sides in a dispute between the Wet’suwet’en First Nation’s elected band leaders and hereditary chiefs on a matter that is best left to the courts.
“And now there is a lot of uncertainty about whether they (businesspeople) are to deal with elected band councils or hereditary chiefs or both and the NDP are being very unclear on that, which is a big problem for investment in northern B.C.,” Wilkinson said.
He said the NDP needs to boost consumer confidence in the economy by reducing taxes
“You can’t tax your way to prosperity and that’s what the NDP are trying to do,” he said. Donaldson could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Fraser River undergoing change
Citizen staff
Nearly half of the Fraser River basin will have gone through a transition from snow-dominated to rain-dominated by the end of this century in response to global warming, two University of Northern British Columbia professors are predicting.
Stephen Déry and Siraj Ul Islam base their outlook on a model of the basin’s hydrology. They ran the model for 150 years, from 1950 to 2099, using future climate projections from 21 global climate models.
As the climate warms, the ratio of snow to rain will decline, causing river flows peak earlier in the year with reduced volume, according to their projection. As well, they say runoff in the cold seasons – fall and winter – at the outlets of the Fraser River and its major tributaries will increase substantially and its year-to-year
variability will more than double.
The marked increase in cold-season runoff is most likely linked to heavy rainfall from more frequent land-falling “atmospheric rivers” – long, meandering plumes of water vapor often originating in the tropical oceans that bring sustained, heavy precipitation to the west coasts of North America and northern Europe, often known as Pineapple Express storms.
Despite the steady decline in the snowpacks, the modelling suggests the increase in cold-season rainfall may lead to peak annual floods that rival or exceed historic record levels.
The research is published in two scientific journals: Geophysical Research Letters and Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.
“Our work is the first to directly investigate the impact of these ‘rivers in the sky’ on ‘rivers on the land’ using climate model projections,” said Islam.
Nelson BENNETT Citizen news staff
The cold was no deterrent on Feb. 24 as ten fat bike enthusiasts took to the Greenway trails near UNBC during the 2019 Fat Bike Festival.
Too soon to rule out Trudeau
The resignation of federal cabinet minister Jane Philpott has brought increased scrutiny to a Canadian government already blemished by the discussions related to the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Two ministers who were highly regarded by political observers are now no longer involved in the government headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Any attempts to look into what this means for the election scheduled to take place this October are futile. Canada has seen its share of political disgraces and not every one of them has led to a change in government or a stronger opposition.
Let us go back in time for a moment. In 1985, large quantities of tuna that had been declared unfit for human consumption made their way to Canada’s store shelves. This led to the resignation of then-minister of Fisheries and Oceans John Fraser. Columnists and pundits spent ample time – in a pre-online world – gauging the effect that this “scandal” would have on the federal administration headed by Brian Mulroney.
Three years later, Mulroney secured another majority government in an election that was not a referendum on safety guidelines for the sale of edible fish products, but on an issue that dominated the agenda in the weeks and months leading up to the actual vote: free trade with the United States.
There are plenty of examples of issues that fleetingly command the attention of Canadians, only to end up having little or no effect in the future of governments. Jean Chrétien did not face an election after Canadians learned of the so-called “Shawinigate” related to the Grand-Mère Golf Club.
Years later, the “sponsorship scandal” lingered for months as a possibly detrimental issue for the Liberals, then headed by Paul Martin. It was only after the RCMP announced a criminal probe in the middle of an election campaign that the Conservatives gained momentum and ultimately defeated the Liberals to form a minority government in early 2006.
In March 2011, a motion declared the Stephen Harper government “in contempt of Parliament” – a dubious distinction that had never before been applied to any federal administration.
In the election that ensued, the Liberals were decimated, the New Democratic Party (NDP) became the Official Opposition and the Conservatives earned their first – and only, in the new period of the unified party – majority mandate.
The so-called Tunagate was no longer in the minds of Canadian voters before the 1988 election. Constant calls for Chrétien’s resignation over the golf course went unheeded. Being found in contempt of Parliament did not make the Harper Conservatives fold into political oblivion. From
these examples, the only one that stuck and caused severe damage to a party brand was the RCMP probe into the “sponsorship scandal.” And why? Because it happened as the campaign progressed.
We are in a new era when it comes to the way in which people connect with “scandals” and government problems. Politicians everywhere can thank the current dweller of the White House for that. There were ample instances throughout 2016 where political observers in the United States said to themselves: “There is no way Donald Trump will survive this.”
But he did.
If the base is solid, the only thing that grows is the level of bewilderment and nausea coming out of those who are against a particular candidate. Nothing sums this better than the 2004 election in the U.S., where John Kerry emerged from the Democratic National Convention with the support of 48 per cent of voters and ended with the same proportion of the vote after all the ballots were tallied in November.
The dismay over George W. Bush’s decisions, qualifications and statements did not make more Americans look at Kerry as suitable material to become the 43rd president – it just made those who were already on his column angrier and angrier.
In spite of all of this, if there is one area where the Liberals will have a more difficult time – SNC-Lavalin or not – it is British
YOUR LETTERS
Pedestrians have right-of-way
I had a discussion the other day with a “professional driver” regarding pedestrians and crosswalks which prompted me to write.
I could not convince the fellow that every intersection is a crosswalk – whether or not marked as a crosswalk. Even after bringing the law up on a phone he told me he doesn’t stop for pedestrians at unmarked intersections.
As we were discussing this outside of McDonalds on 20th Ave and Redwood Street, a young girl walked up to the corner and was waiting for the traffic to clear, when a RCMP vehicle came along and to my surprise, it didn’t stop either. Eventually someone did stop. I suspect that RCMP officer hasn’t read the law either or just disregarded it the same as a professional driver does.
I lived in Toronto in the sixties
and my wife taught elementary public school where the teachers were directed to teach kids the “arm forward” before crossing to make drivers aware of their intention.
Pedestrians in Toronto use the arm forward signal regardless of their age but no one in B.C. uses that signal. If we ask parents and teachers to instruct kids to do that, in two or three generations it would be common practice and saving lives.
That’s my safety rant for March.
Mike Hawryluk
Prince George
Supporting our junior hockey teams
I’ve attended numerous Prince George Spruce Kings hockey games over the past 20-plus seasons and I wanted to commend the entire organization for what has been accomplished, both on and off the ice.
Over the past couple of seasons,
the organization has brought in excellent talent on the ice, as well as provided fans with family-friendly, cost efficient ticket promotions. The Kings organization has continued to work with various community groups and has made the in-game experience terrific and entertaining. The volunteers, management, coaches, and players have done an incredible job.
I realize the Cougars organization is trying their best and have also done their share of promotions and connections within the community. They have considerable potential with their current prospects and future draft picks. Let’s hope the Cougars can fulfill that potential and enjoy a surge of success on the ice, translating into the fans in the stands.
As for the Spruce Kings, let’s get out and support these players for hopefully another long, successful playoff run. Keep up the great work to all those involved.
Tommy Heinzelman
Prince George
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. No attachments, please. They can also be faxed to 250-960-2766, or mailed to 201-1777 Third Ave., Prince George, B.C. V2L 3G7. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen. ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.
Columbia. Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould holds a seat in Vancouver. The current prime minister campaigned in the westernmost province on promises related to electoral reform and environmental stewardship that some voters feel were not adequately met. It must also be acknowledged that the federal Liberal Party has never had a true base in British Columbia, aside from pockets of extreme popularity in the city of Vancouver. The Liberals went from garnering the votes of 13 per cent of British Columbians under Michael Ignatieff in 2011 to 35 per cent under Justin Trudeau in 2015. These are “borrowed” votes that can easily find a way to other political parties, as they did in previous contests.
The question, which can be answered only once the electoral campaign starts, is whether voters think there is a better alternative to what Trudeau and the Liberals currently offer. Tunagate did not make then-Liberal leader John Turner more appealing. The Conservatives being found in contempt of Parliament did not help Michael Ignatieff. It is simply too soon to gauge how Canadian voters will react to what has transpired over the last month. If the story had broken in September or October, the consequences would be clearer. — Mario Canseco is president of Research Co. and writes a regular column for Glaicer Media.
Under pressure
The front page of Friday’s Citizen contained the headline “Legebokoff move raises ire of MPs, victims families.” Rightly so.
In the article, Doug Leslie says “He should never be out of that little box, ever.” In the opinion of the families, Legebokoff deserved maximum security incarceration for the rest of his life. No disagreement with that.
But I mention this story because local MP Todd Doherty raised the issue on Feb. 26 in the House of Commons when he specifically challenged federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale, to review the case.
Doherty said “Mr. Speaker, recently, Canada’s youngest serial killer, Cody Legebokoff, was transferred from maximum security to medium security without acknowledgement or notification to two of the families of the four victims. Cody Legebokoff heinously murdered four young women in our communities in Cariboo-Prince George. He has not admitted guilt and has not formally told the victims’ families where the remains of the victims are. I would ask my honourable colleague across the way if he will review this case of the transfer of Cody Legebokoff, Canada’s youngest serial killer, from maximum to medium security.”
Minister Goodale responded
“Mr. Speaker, the particular item raised by the honourable gentleman obviously does not relate to Bill C-83 but on the substantive issue he has raised, I will examine the facts and get back to him with further information.”
Doherty did exactly what we expect him to do – apply pressure to a minister to reconsider a decision made by his staff. And the minister responded he would examine the issue and reply.
During the rest of the week, Doherty made several references to the Legebokoff case as an example of the how the correction system makes mistakes. In effect, he contended Corrections Canada has done something it shouldn’t and so the minister needs to step in and overrule his subordinates.
In the letters section of the same edition, in a letter titled “Area MPs weigh in on Wilson-Raybould affair,” MP Doherty wrote about the pressure being brought to bear on a minister to examine the actions of her subordinates and to reconsider their decision.
The language used in the letter describes the actions of the Prime Minister and the PMO as “not only
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shocking but corrupt and speak to a prime minister who has lost all moral authority to govern.”
Why? Because they asked Minister Wilson-Raybould to change her mind with regard to a decision made by her subordinates. The letter even states “the prime minister must resign and the RCMP must immediately open an investigation.” It finishes with “Canadians deserve answers and not a government that continuously keeps them in the dark while attempting to bend the rule of law to benefit their friends.”
Except no one is presenting evidence SNC-Lavalin is a “friend” of anyone in government. Yes, they contribute to the Liberals but they also contribute to other parties. So here we have a case of an MP condemning the government in very harsh terms and insinuating it acted corruptly for doing something he has done himself. Is there a difference? Absolutely. MP Doherty rose in the house to ask the question of the minister and although he applied pressure, he is not a member of the governing party. It is a matter of scale. But should that really matter? If the prime minister is defending his constituents and asking a minister for a reconsideration is that really different? I don’t have the answers to these questions. I do know one of the aspects of our system of government is for both members of the government and of the opposition to bring to the attention of ministers cases where they feel something has gone wrong. And I do know it is the responsibility of the minister to act when appropriate or not act when it is inappropriate. In the WilsonRaybould case, she did not bow to the pressure. The prosecution is proceeding. Everything is unfolding as it should.
So, where is the scandal? The only question is did she lose her position as the minister of justice and attorney general over her refusal to change her mind? Maybe –and it would be a significant price to pay for having the courage to hold to your convictions. But one many have paid in all walks of life. The issue shouldn’t be whether pressure was brought to bear on behalf of constituents because if that was the case, there wouldn’t be an MP left in Ottawa. It is whether she was punished for not bowing to the pressure.
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Member of the
Philpott resigns from cabinet over SNC-Lavalin affair
Joan BRYDEN Citizen news service
OTTAWA — Treasury Board
president Jane Philpott resigned Monday from the federal cabinet, saying she’s lost confidence in the way the Trudeau government has dealt with the SNC-Lavalin affair. Her resignation came just less than a month after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office improperly pressured her to stop a criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant.
“A minister must always be prepared to defend other ministers publicly, and must speak in support of the government and its policies,” Philpott said in a resignation letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Given this convention and the current circumstances, it is untenable for me to continue to serve as a cabinet minister.”
Trudeau issued a terse statement accepting Philpott’s resignation and thanking her “for her years of service to Canadians and her dedication.” He named Carla Qualtrough, the minister of public services and procurement, as the acting president of the Treasury Board. He was expected to comment at more length at an event in Toronto on Monday evening.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Philpott’s resignation proves he was correct when he asserted last week that Trudeau has “lost the moral authority to govern.”
“Today, a senior member of his inner circle has come to the same conclusion,” said Scheer, repeating his call for Trudeau to resign and for the RCMP to investigate.
“Jane Philpott’s resignation from cabinet clearly demonstrates a government in total chaos, led by a disgraced prime minister consumed with scandal and focused only on his political survival.”
Scheer called on other cabinet ministers to follow Philpott’s example or be seen to be part of the “ethical rot that infects this government.”
New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh reiterated his call for a public inquiry into the affair.
Like Wilson-Raybould, Philpott said she intends to remain a Liberal MP – for Markham-Stouffville outside Toronto, in her case. But unlike Wilson-Raybould, she did not say whether she intends to run for re-election as a Liberal this fall, although she has already been nominated. There has been some speculation in Liberal circles that Philpott might run for leader of the Ontario Liberal party.
Philpott’s resignation was not entirely unexpected among Liberals, who knew she and Wilson-Raybould are close friends. Indeed, when Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet, Philpott tweeted a picture of the pair with their arms around each other.
In a tweet praising Philpott’s “constant and unassailable commitment to always doing what is right and best for Canadians,” Wilson-Raybould told her friend: “You are a leader of vision & strength & I look forward to con-
tinuing to work alongside you.”
Wilson-Raybould last week delivered bombshell testimony at the House of Commons justice committee, accusing officials of relentlessly pressuring her and even issuing veiled threats to co-operate in helping SNC-Lavalin avoid a criminal prosecution. The company is a pillar of Montreal’s business community and a major player in infrastructure projects both inside and outside Canada.
Trudeau and his officials allegedly leaned on WilsonRaybould to reverse a decision by the director of public prosecutions to proceed with a criminal trial of SNC-Lavalin on charges of bribery and corruption related to contracts in Libya. Instead, they wanted her to order negotiation of a remediation agreement with the company that would have levied stiff financial penalties but removed the prospect of a criminal conviction that could cripple the
Legal aid lawyers threaten strike over funding
Citizen news service
VANCOUVER — A group representing British Columbia’s legal aid lawyers says if the provincial government does not boost funding, it will ask its members to vote in favour of withdrawing their services starting on April 1.
The Association of Legal Aid Lawyers said Monday that per capita funding has shrunk by 60 per cent since 1992 and B.C. ranks 10th out of 12 provinces and territories in per capita funding.
Director Richard Fowler said the provincial government must restore per capita funding to 1992 levels, adjusted for inflation. Legal aid lawyers have only had one pay raise in 28 years and their numbers have dropped to 1,000 from 1,500 in 1991, he added.
“These cuts and consistent underfunding for decades have had a disastrous effect on the legal aid system while funding for prosecution services and the courts has increased,” he said in a news release. “There currently is a huge decline in lawyers taking on cases. They just can’t afford to do it.” Fowler said if the government doesn’t announce funding increases by March 13, the group will ask its 514 members to vote for the job action.
The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, it released a report on legal aid services shortly after the association made its announcement.
The report by lawyer Jamie Maclaren follows an external review and public consultations with legal aid users that was conducted in the fall, the ministry said. It makes 25 recommendations including
Feds crack down on gangs, gun violence
VICTORIA (CP) — The federal government says fighting gun and gang violence across Canada requires a collaborative, multi-pronged approach by all levels of government and communities.
Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair says gun and gang violence is on the rise and since 2013 gunrelated homicides have almost doubled, with most of those shootings connected to gang violence.
Blair was at the British Columbia legislature to announce $5.3 million in funding to help with efforts to better understand, prevent and disrupt gun and gang violence in the province.
“The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system. It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our attorney general should not be subjected to political pressure or interference regarding the exercise of her prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases. Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised.”
The next round of testimony on the affair is to come Wednesday. Trudeau’s longtime friend and former principal secretary Gerald Butts, whom Wilson-Raybould tagged as one of the sources of pressure on her, is scheduled to appear before the justice committee at 10 a.m. ET.
The same afternoon, Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick and deputy minister of justice Nathalie Drouin are to appear.
Both testified earlier at the committee but that was before WilsonRaybould fingered Wernick as the person who allegedly issued veiled threats and suggested Drouin was a witness to some of the pressure tactics.
company financially and hurt innocent employees, pensioners and suppliers.
Remediation agreements are lawful tools in dealing with corporate corruption. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould would have been legally entitled to instruct the director of public prosecutions on how to deal with SNC-Lavalin. The controversy hinges on how hard it was acceptable for Trudeau to push her to do so.
While Wilson-Raybould called the pressure tactics inappropriate, she said she did not think they were illegal – a distinction Philpott did not make.
“Unfortunately, the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former attorney general to intervene in the criminal case involving SNCLavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me,” Philpott wrote.
New Democrat MP Charlie Angus wrote to Trudeau on Monday, arguing that Wernick’s impartiality as the country’s top public servant had been irreparably compromised and demanding his resignation.
Philpott has been widely seen as one of Trudeau’s most capable ministers. As minister of health, she worked with Wilson-Raybould in legalizing medical assistance in dying. As minister of Indigenous services, she oversaw drastic reductions in the number of longterm advisories on water safety on First Nations reserves.
She was moved to Treasury Board in mid-January in the same shuffle that saw Wilson-Raybould moved out of the justice portfolio into veterans affairs.
Treasury Board is a less-visible ministry concerned with the nuts and bolts of government operations but the president effectively holds the government’s purse strings, overseeing all federal spending. Philpott took over the post from Scott Brison, who retired from politics.
launching an online portal to accept legal aid applications and to help with clients’ legal problems.
The report calls for representatives from the provincial government, the Law Society of B.C. and frontline community service organizations to be appointed to the Legal Services Society board, which oversees legal aid in B.C.
It also recommends broadening the scope of Indigenous legal aid services and creating legal clinics for child protection and refugee cases. And it wants the auditor general to perform a value-for-money audit of Legal Services Society operations.
“Legal aid is not broken in B.C. It has simply lost its way. Years of underfunding and shifting political priorities have taken their toll on the range and quality of legal aid services, and especially on the people who need them,” Maclaren writes.
“Still, the will exists in B.C. to make legal aid more accessible and effective for all its many users.”
The ministry said it would carefully review the report and determine next steps.
Fowler said the reduction in funding since 1991 means only a small number of people qualify for legal aid.
Legal aid for family law is now only available if there’s a threat of violence or if the government is trying to permanently remove a child from their family, and oneperson household with an income of more than $1,580 a month is ineligible for a legal aid lawyer in a criminal or family matter, he said.
“This has resulted in courtrooms filled with single mothers without lawyers struggling to deal with child custody matters,” he said.
FILE PHOTO
Treasury Board President Jane Philpott speaks in the House of Commons on Feb. 4 in Ottawa. Philpott has resigned from cabinet.
China ramps up espionage charges against Canadians
Citizen news service
China accused two detained Canadians on Monday of acting together to steal state secrets, just days after Canada announced it will proceed with a U.S. extradition request for a senior Chinese tech executive.
China arrested the two Canadians on Dec. 10 in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies, who was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities.
Meng’s arrest set off a diplomatic furor and has severely strained Canadian relations with China.
The U.S. is seeking the extradiction of Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei’s founder, to face charges she misled banks about the company’s business with Iran.
China’s official Xinhua News Agency cited unidentified Chinese authorities as saying former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig violated Chinese laws by acting as a spy and stealing state secrets and
intelligence with the help of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor. It was the first time the two men’s cases have been linked.
It said Kovrig often entered China using an ordinary passport and business visas, and acquired information from Spavor, his “main contact.”
“Authorities stressed that China is a country ruled by law and will firmly crack down on criminal acts that severely undermine national security,” Xinhua said.
The same information was posted on the official news blog of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
No other details were given and Xinhua said further judicial proceedings would “take place based on the case’s progress.”
“We are obviously very concerned by this position that China has taken,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “It is unfortunate that China continues to move forward on these arbitrary detentions.”
Kovrig is a former diplomat who was working as an expert on Asia for the International Crisis
Group think-tank . Spavor is an entrepreneur known for contacts with high-ranking North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un.
“We are aware of the Xinhua report of 4 March but have heard nothing official about any charges being laid against our colleague, Michael Kovrig,” said Hugh Pope, a spokesman for the International Crisis Group.
“Michael’s work for Crisis Group has been entirely transparent and in the open as all who follow his work can attest. Vague and unsubstantiated accusations against him are unwarranted and unfair.”
After Meng’s arrest, a Chinese court also sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial, overturning a 15-year prison term handed down earlier. Kovrig and Spavor haven’t had access to a lawyer or to their families since being arrested.
Canada said Friday that it will allow court hearings for the U.S. extradition request for Meng to proceed.
David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said the new allegations against Kovrig
and Spavor are a response to that action.
“Every step in the process will be matched by a step by China. The desire is to raise the raise the pressure to extent that we simply give in,” Mulroney said.
Meng is due in court on Wednesday to set a date for the extradition proceedings to start. It could be several months or even years before her case is resolved
Guy Saint-Jacques, also a former Canadian ambassador to China, said Beijing is clearly putting additional pressure on Canada.
“It’s a predicable escalation in the crisis,” he said. “They are probably hoping it will convince the prime minister to free Meng.”
Lawyers for Meng, who is staying at a property she owns in Vancouver after her release on bail, said Sunday she is suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, alleging she was detained, searched and interrogated before she was told she was under arrest.
Meng’s lawsuit alleges that instead of immediately arresting her, they interrogated her “under the guise of a routine customs”
examination and used the opportunity to “compel her to provide evidence and information.”
Also Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang accused Canada and the U.S. of abusing their bilateral extradition treaty. He reiterated Beijing’s demand that Washington withdraw its accusations against Meng.
The U.S. has been lobbying its allies to shun Huawei’s products on national security grounds, saying Chinese law requires the company to provide the government with intelligence on its foreign clients whenever requested.
A Chinese government spokesman took issue Monday with the U.S. claims that Huawei poses a threat to other countries’ information security. Spokesman Zhang Yesui said U.S. officials were taking China’s national security law out of context and “playing up the so-called security risks” associated with Chinese companies.
The 2017 law borrows from other countries’ experiences and is designed explicitly to “protect human rights and the lawful rights of individuals and organizations,” he said.
Sports
Brook Braun of Fort St. John leads the pack around the rink at Kin 1 on
Speed Skating Championships.
Blizzard whips up a storm at Kin 1
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
They were among the youngest athletes at the B.C. provincial short track speed skating championships but age is just a number to 10-year-olds Megan Vansickle and Emily Clarke. They were grouped in with 11-and-12-year-olds girls at the two-day meet on the Olympicsized rink at Kin 1 and that didn’t bother them. Whatever it takes to get to the next level.
“It’s a huge accomplishment just to get into this meet, especially at our age,” said Clarke. “Even if we don’t come first we still got in, so that’s pretty good.”
All of the 119 skaters who entered the meet had to first qualify by posting race times which meet provincial standards.
Blizzard skaters Vansickle and Kaitlyn Conwicki were born after the June 30 cutoff and raced as nine-year-olds in the provincial meet .
“I’ve been able to keep up with some older kids, like in the last
1,200 (metre race) I did, I came
second and I was racing mostly older kids,” said Vansickle, a member of the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club, who started skating when she was three.
“I like the 200 metre (race), I like short sprints.”
Clarke set a personal best in the 200m pursuit on Saturday and said that was her most satisfying race. Posting results was secondary to the main reason she was there.
“Really, the big goal is having fun,” said Clarke. “That’s the
whole point of skating, having fun.”
Clarke draws her inspiration from national development team member Alison Desmarais, 21, who used to be her neighbour in Vanderhoof.
The provincial meet was a qualifier for the Western Canadian championships. Three male and three female skaters in five age categories were vying berths in the Western Canadian meet, March 22-24 in Grande Prairie.
“We have such a young club this year but they’re very strong-
performing skaters for being so young,” said Blizzard high performance coach Taryn Vansickle.
“This competition is a whole other level higher than what we skated all year at the interclub levels. They are skating against the top kids in the province. I have 11 (Blizzard skaters) racing this weekend and it’s pretty exciting to have a high-level competition back in Prince George. The volunteer committee has done an amazing job to bring this together from such a small club and the feedback has been amazing.”
Spruce Kings take three-game lead over Express
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Poisson is the French word for fish. Nick Poisson was more like a shark the way he fed off his chances around the net Monday night in Coquitlam.
The 17-year-old Prince George Spruce Kings winger scored two goals to trigger a 4-2 victory over the Coquitlam Express which pushed the Express to the precipice of elimination in their best-of-seven B.C. Hockey League Mainland Division semifinal series. The Kings now lead the series 3-0 and will have a chance to wrap it up in Game 4 tonight (7:15 start) in Coquitlam. With his parents from Vancouver watching among the crowd of 571 at Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre in Coquitlam, Poisson teamed up on a line with his brother Ben and Chong Min Lee to pick up his first career playoff points. Nick’s second goal of the game late in the third period made it a 3-2 game and that stood as the gamewinner.
Lee had a two-point game with a goal and an assist and defencemen Layton Ahac and Liam Watson-Brawn also scored for Prince George. Alex DiPaolo and Dallas Farrell were the Express goalscorers.
The Spruce Kings got off to a great start, using a strong forecheck to pin the Express in the defensive zone and build a 13-3 shot advantage in the first four minutes. Lucas Vanroboys, the overtime hero for Prince George in Game 2, took advantage of a turnover in the Coquitlam end and dug the puck put of the corner for linemate Corey Cunningham. Cunningham’s shot from close range was stopped by goalie Kolby Matthews, but the rebound came out to Lee and he buried it for his second of the playoffs 7:54 into the game.
The Express tied it five minutes later. Defenceman Jack Cameron carried the puck deep into Kings’ territory along the left wing boards and put the puck on net. The rebound popped out to DiPaulo and his high shot found
POISSON
the back of the net.
The Spruce Kings owned the puck and had the Express under pressure in their own zone through wide stretches of the second period and were rewarded with quality chances and two goals. Ben Poisson picked off a pass attempt from Ty Westgard just outside the Coquitlam line and carried the puck down the right side and fed a pass to his younger brother Nick, who blasted in a one-timer from the
slot, to make it a 2-1 game, 7:02 into the period.
Matthews kept Coquitlam in the game and late in the period Westgard shovelled the puck out of the corner into the slot and it ticked off the skate of Farrell in behind Prince George goalie Logan Neaton. That came at 17:36 of the second and the Kings had an answer for it, right away. Nick Poisson collected his second of the game at the 18:57 mark after Lee circled behind the net with the puck and threaded a pass through the crease to a waiting Poisson and he buried it from a sharp angle to restore the lead.
Ahac collected his second of the second of the playoffs, 8:46 into the third period, and WatsonBrawn scored into an empty net while shorthanded with 25 seconds left.
The shots favoured the Kings 34-33. Neaton earned his third win of the postseason.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Langley Rivermen have the Chilliwack Chiefs on the verge of elimination
after stomping them 5-0 Monday in Langley in Game 3 of the other Mainland Division semifinal series. Rivermen forward Mark Gallant, who fired the doubleovertime winner in Game 2 Saturday, scored four goals for Langley to give the Rivermen a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is tonight in Langley. The Chiefs are defending RBC Cup junior A national champions and finished one point ahead of the Spruce Kings for first place overall this season in the BCHL. The winner of the ChilliwackLangley series will take on the Prince George-Coquitlam winner in Round 2 of the playoffs… In other BCHL playoff results, the Powell River Kings jumped ahead 2-1 in their Island Division series with the Nanaimo Clippers after a 3-1 win Monday in Nanaimo. In an Interior Division matchup, the Vernon Vipers and Salmon Arm Silverbacks were heading into overtime at presstime. That series was tied 1-1 heading into Monday’s game in Salmon Arm. — see related story, page 8
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
Short Track
Condors finish ninth in province
High school boys basketball provincial tournaments start Wednesday
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
The Duchess Park Condors lost just one of their four games at the double-A girls provincial basketball championship in Langley. Unfortunately for the Condors, that one defeat came on Day 1 of the tournament and it dropped them out of contention for a medal.
Ranked seventh going into the 16-team tournament in Langley, the Condors dropped a 72-39 decision Wednesday to Thomas More Collegiate of Burnaby. Duchess Park then reeled off three consecutive wins to claim ninth place.
The Condors defeated Westsyde of Kamloops 76-41 and Whistler 62-48 and in Saturday’s ninth-place battle toppled Lambrick Park of Saanich 68-38. In that game, Rebecca Landry scored 18 points for Duchess Park, while Brynn Dergousoff and Litsana Thanos chipped in with 15 and 11 points respectively.
South Kamloops won the championship 70-43 over G.W. Graham of Chilliwack.
In the 24-team junior girls provincial tournament, also in Langley, the College Heights Cougars finished 18th, losing their final game 58-46 to W.L. Seaton of Vernon. The Cougars finished with a 2-2 record.
The Duchess Park Condors (1-3) lost their final game Saturday 42-27 to Sir Winston Churchill of Vancouver and placed 22nd.
The Kelly Road Roadrunners (1-3) finished 23rd, winning their final game 59-35 over Hazelton.
On Wednesday in Langley, the boys get their turn under the provincial spotlight.
The D.P. Todd Trojans turned in an impressive performance in the North Central zone championship two weekends ago in their home gym and used that to jump three places in the provincial double-A rankings. Backed by North Central zone MVP
Cameron Sale and zone all-stars Holden
Black, Randy Sandhu and Saagar Shergill, D.P. Todd is seeded No. 2 in the 16-team provincial tournament.
The Trojans, 78-59 winners over the Kelly Roadrunners in the zone championship game, Feb. 23, will open Wednesday against No. 15 Pacific Academy of Surrey at 11:45 a.m. Charles Hays of Prince Rupert is the top seed.
At the B.C. triple-A boys championship in Langley, the North Central zone champion Duchess Park Condors are ranked No. 4 and
will take on the No. 13 Caledonia Kermodes of Terrace in their first game Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
Sir Charles Tupper (Vancouver), Vernon and Pitt Meadows are ranked first, second and third respectively.
Meanwhile, in the single-A boys tournament in Langley, the No. 7 Cedars Christian Eagles will meet No. 10 Pemberton in their opener Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
The Eagles captured the North Central zone title two weekends ago in Dawson Creek, where they defeated the Northside
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
Lucas Vanroboys was in the right place at the right time.
He deflected a power-play point shot from Max Coyle into the net 18:16 into overtime to give the Prince George Spruce Kings a 3-2 victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Coquitlam Express Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
It was the 12th shot of overtime for the Kings and it came with Express defenceman Troy Robillard off for tripping winger Ben Brar to negate a breakaway chance.
“Max made a nice shot through a couple of screens there and it just happened to hit me and go in,” said Vanroboys, 19, a native of Thamesville, Ont. “You could really tell they were tired, which is the style we play and we were able to take advantage of that towards the end and really put it to them.
“Now we have a chance to keep the momentum going and keep them on their heels. They knew the desperate situation there were in so they came out flying. Every game’s a do-or-die game from here on out, basically and they really pushed it to us but we were able to bend not break and had a good outcome.”
The Express scored with four minutes left in the third period for a 2-1 lead. Just when it looked like the series would be shifting to Coquitlam with the teams tied at one win apiece, the Kings connected on the power play. That goal came with just 1:33 left in the period, eight seconds into a slashing penalty handed to Express forward Ty Westgard. Dylan Anhorn took the puck at the left point and spotted Brar standing off to the side and fired a shot that hit Brar’s stick and
deflected high into the net behind goalie Kolby Matthews, sending the game into overtime
It was the second time in the third period the Kings wiggled off the hook. Trailing 1-0, they caught a break just past the halfway mark of the period when Chong Min Lee took a weak shot at the net and the puck ticked off the stick of Express forward Danny Pearson and slid slowly through the legs of a surprised Matthews.
Right after Lee made his Korean family proud, scoring his first career BCHL playoff goal, the Express went ahead again with only four minutes left in the third period. Anhorn had trouble controlling a bouncing puck deep in the Kings’ end and Joshua Wildauer scored his second goal of the game. He took a chop at the loose puck and sent a high shot that sailed through a screen in front of goalie Logan Neaton.
“We played hard and especially in overtime we worked way
harder than them and we just out-competed them,” said Lee, who played the right side on a line with the Poisson brothers. “We got lots of chances in the first 10 of overtime but just couldn’t bury one and we got that one on the power play.
“My goal was kind of lucky but I’ll take it.”
Just as the Kings did in their 3-1 Game 1 victory Friday, the Express took advantage of an early powerplay chance to open the scoring. A tripping penalty to Brar had just expired when Dallas Farrell got the puck in the circle and sent a hard pass over to Wildauer just off the left post, and he stopped the puck with his skate then fired it into the net for his first of two goals, just 2:39 into the game.
Coquitlam played the box well in the defensive zone in front of goalie Matthews, drawing his first start of the playoffs, which limited the Spruce Kings to mostly perimeter or long-range shots in the early going.
Kings head coach Adam Maglio didn’t like what he saw out of his team until the third period. Coquitlam was deserving of its lead and had the better opportunities through 40 minutes but there was no doubt the Kings found their skating legs in the late stages and they outshot the Express 12-4 in overtime.
“We showed up in the third and showed up in OT but I wasn’t thrilled with our execution through the first two, we were just missing a couple details – it’s never (a lack of) work ethic with this group,” said Maglio. “I give our guys a ton of credit to come back twice like that and win in OT. OT was our hockey and we need
on Feb. 23 at the Prince
Christian Northstars of Vanderhoof 71-63 in the final. The Northstars went on to finish second, beating the McBride Mustangs 10092 in the second-place game. Northside and McBride claimed the other two berths in the 16-team provincial tournament. No. 9 Northside will open Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. against eight-ranked King David of Vancouver, while No. 14 McBride will take on No. 3 Highroad Academy of Chilliwack Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. Glenlyon Norfolk of Victoria is the topseeded team at the 16-team event.
to play like that all the time. It shouldn’t take that desperation to get there but we’re still learning in the playoffs.”
Seeing the tying goal and winning goal each scored while his team was killing a penalty did not sit well with Express head coach Jason Fortier.
“I’m not here to get fined but I think we all can assume there needs to be better consistency in how things get done,” said Fortier.
“I do feel we should be up or at least even (in the series). It’s a tight game, they have a good team and I’m sure it’s been good hockey to watch, but we still have to execute and put the puck in the net. We carried the last five minutes of the game up until that (third period) power play.”
The best-of-seven BCHL Mainland Division semifinal series resumes with the next two games Monday and Tuesday in Coquitlam. If Game 5 is needed that would be played Thursday in Prince George, with Game 6 scheduled for Saturday in Coquitlam and Game 7, if needed, in Prince George the following Monday.
“We know nothing’s going to come easy against that squad, they went to the final (last season) and had a lot of guys return and they’re a really good team, coached really well, and I respect the heck out of the way they play,” said Fortier. “They just have an affinity to work hard and when it’s such a tight game and the margin of error is so minimal, when there is a mistake or something that’s out of your control you just have to keep working and not get down and hopefully our guys can bounce back.”
Kamstra, Young finish Canada Games
team silver
Citizen staff
Kimiko Kamstra and Lochlan Young, both of Prince George, finished their judo team competition in fine style Friday at the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta. The two Hart Judo Academy members helped their respective B.C. female and male teams win silver medals, coming on the heels of their silvermedal performances earlier in the week in the individual tournaments.
In the women’s team competition, B.C. defeated Quebec in the semifinal round, then lost to Alberta in the battle for gold.
The B.C. men’s team eliminated Alberta in the semifinals and lost to Quebec in the goldmedal round. Kamstra, 18, captured silver in the women’s 44-kilogram class on Tuesday, while the 16-year-old Young took silver in the men’s 73 kg event on Wednesday.
In the alpine ski cross event Saturday at Nakiska, Charlotte Gibson of Prince George, 16, advanced through the preliminary heats and round of 32 and was eliminated when she finished third in her quarterfinal heat.
Duchess Park Condors Jackson Kuc drives to the net past PGSS Polars defender Ameer Dhillon
George Secondary School gym during the final games of the North Central Zone Triple-A boy’s championship.
VANROBOYS
Cariboo Cats take major step in playoffs
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
tclarke@pgitizen.ca
The Cariboo Cougars didn’t need to be reminded what happened in the regular season when the Greater Vancouver Canadians came visiting.
Back in January, the Canadians met the Cougars three times on the ice at Kin 1 and the Canadians went home with three overtime wins packed up into their hockey gear. They met again this past weekend at Kin 2 but this time the stakes were much higher for both teams in the opening round of the B.C. Hockey Minor Midget League playoffs. In Game 1 of the best-of-three quarterfinal series on Friday, the Canadians took a 4-3 lead six minutes into the third period and hung on to it until the 16:48 mark. When Cariboo forward Landon Ingham tipped in a point shot from Wyatt Millner. That set the stage for Cougars captain Hunter Brown, who let go a lethal bar-down snapshot for the 5-4 gamewinner with just 1:33 left.
Colton Phillips-Watts earned the win in the Cariboo nets.
Then in Game 2 on Saturday, the Cougars blew a 4-2 first-period lead and needed a goal from Landon Ingham 6:32 into the third period to cinch another 5-4 victory. The Cougars played the final 4:23 of the game shorthanded when Nicolas Braaten was tossed for making head contact. But the Cougars limited the damage and Dawson Smith locked down the series victory with a solid display of netminding.
“We came out hard every single game, we didn’t want to have to play the third game, we wanted to finish it off in the first two,” said Brown, 15, a seventh-round pick of the Red Deer Rebels in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. “I thought we outplayed them both games so it was a good win, kind of a team-booster and hopefully we’ll keep that momentum going into the second round.”
In Saturday’s series-clincher, Brown opened the scoring and Kellan Brienen, Samuel Chabot and Scott Cousins staked the Cougars to their two-goal lead after 20 minutes. But the Canadians had an answer for that. Daniel North scored the only goal of the second period and tied the game 4-4 with his second of the game, 1:42 into the third period.
Just two points separated the third-place Cougars (14-10-1-5) from the sixth-place Canadians (13-11-3-3) after a 30-game schedule – the inaugural season for BC Hockey’s league of 15-year-old players.
Cariboo Cougars forward Hunter Brown races into the offensive zone with the puck with Greater Vancouver Canadians defender Connor Muggli-Manson hot on his heels on Saturday afternoon at Kin 2. The Cougars won the game 5-4 moving on to the next round of the BC Minor Midget League play-offs.
“We felt we outplayed them (in all three regular-season games) but just couldn’t finish it off in OT and it felt nice to beat them in the playoffs when it matters most,” said Brown.
The Cougars will advance to the semifinal round next weekend against either the fourth-place Thompson Blazers or secondplace Fraser Valley Thunderbirds
“We’ve got to fix those mental lapses in our game because we can’t be doing that towards the finals because teams like that will score every time and our goalies can’t bail us out every time,” said Brown, a native of Fort St. John.
“You can’t take any team lightly. They were behind us (in the standings) but they came out hard and they were winning some games.”
Cougars assistant coach Ryan Howse figures the team is playing its best hockey of the season, peaking just in time for the playoffs.
“They’ve learned throughout the year to bend and not break and we’re coming together at the right time of year,” said Howse. “They knew what’s on the line and they stuck together and killed off some big penalties. The way they went out and the preparation and focus and intensity – they ramped it up.”
Meanwhile, in the major midget league, the Cariboo Cougars swept the North Island Silvertips (5-2 Sunday, 6-1 Saturday) in a weekend set at Kin 2 which moved the third-place Cougars within one point of first place heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Royals herd Cats in weekend finale
Glacier Media
Phillip Schultz scored twice in the first six minutes of the third period as the Victoria Royals skated to a 5-2 win over the Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Scoring earlier for Victoria on the power play were Carson Miller, on a three-point night, and defenceman Ralph Jarratt. Igor Martynov scored into an empty net on a three-point evening.
Josh Maser, with his 28th goal of the season, and Jack Sander scored for the Cougars (17-39-8),
who had earlier been eliminated from post-season contention. The Royals decidedly won the season series against the Cougars 8-1.
Veteran 20-year-old Victoria goaltender (and former Cariboo Cougar) Griffen Outhouse will not tie Tyson Sexsmith’s and Corey Hirsch’s WHL record for most career victories at 120. Brock Gould got the start Saturday and made 32 saves. Outhouse’s 113 victories rank seventh on all-time WHL career list, but the Royals now have only six games remaining.
Taylor Gauthier, the Canadian U-18 gold-medallist who is the fifth-ranked North American goaltender for the 2019 NHL draft and second-highest ranked goalie from the WHL, made 27 saves for the Cougars.
Even with home-ice clinched for the first round, the Royals need to continue to play hard to end the regular season.
“You can’t just turn it on for the playoffs,” said Victoria blueliner Jarratt.
The Cougars will return to CN Centre to face the Portland Winterhawks Friday and Saturday.
George 3 Coquitlam 2 (OT) TUESDAY’S GAME Prince George at Coquitlam, 7:15 p.m.
THURSDAY’S GAME x-Coquitlam at Prince George, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAR. 9 x-Prince George at Coquitlam, 3 p.m.
MONDAY, MAR. 11 x-Coquitlam at Prince George, 7 p.m. INTERIOR DIVISION Penticton (1) vs. Cowichan Valley (WC) (Series tied 1-1)
SATURDAY’S RESULT Penticton 4 Cowichan Valley 1
THURSDAY’S RESULT Cowichan Valley 4 Penticton 1
TUESDAY’S GAME Penticton at Cowichan Valley, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME Penticton at Cowichan Valley, 7 p.m. SATURDAY, MAR. 9 Cowichan Valley at Penticton, 6 p.m.
MONDAY, MAR. 11 x-Penticton at Cowichan Valley, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 13 x-Cowichan Valley at Penticton, 7 p.m. Merritt (2) vs. Trail (7) (Series tied 1-1)
SATURDAY’S RESULT Trail 5 Merritt 2 FRIDAY’S RESULT Merritt 4 Trail 2 TUESDAY’S GAME Merritt at Trail, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME Merritt at Trail, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY’S GAME Trail at Merritt, 7 p.m. SATURDAY, MAR. 9 x-Merritt at Trail, 7 p.m. MONDAY, MAR. 11 x-Trail at Merritt,
The Cougars (25-8-5-0) have 55 points, one behind the first-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (27-9-1-1) and second-place Vancouver Northeast Chiefs (25-7-4-2), who each have 56 points.
Brendan Pigeon collected two goals Sunday, while Brett Fudger, John Herrington, and Matthew Magrath also scored. Devin Chapman improved his record to 10-1-2-0 in goal for Cariboo. In Saturday’s game, the Cougars had six different goalscorers, including Fudger, Jacob Gendron, Curtis Hammond, Lane Goodwin, Brendan Bott and Max Arnold. Xavier Cannon (11-6-3-0) notched the win in net.
The Cougars will travel to Vancouver this weekend to face the Northwest Giants (2115-1-1, sixth place) Saturday and Sunday.
‘Terrible’ Ted Lindsay dead at 93
Citizen news service
TORONTO — (Terrible) Ted Lindsay, a hard-nosed star winger who formed Detroit’s famed Production Line with Gordie Howe and Sid Abel, has died. He was 93. Lew LaPaugh, president of the Ted Lindsay Foundation, which raises money for autism research, said Lindsay died at his home in Michigan.
Lindsay’s impact on hockey was felt on and off the ice. A nine-time all-star who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966, Lindsay is considered one of the greatest leftwingers in the game. His influence in hockey is still
MAINLAND DIVISION semifinal Prince George Spruce Kings vs. Coquitlam Express (Spruce Kings lead best–of-seven series 1-0) Saturday’s BCHL playoff summary Express 2 at Spruce Kings 3 (OT) First Period 1. Coquitlam, Wildauer 1 (Farrell, Danol) 2:39 Penalties –Brar PG (tripping) 0:38, Coq bench, too many men., served by Farrell, 12;34, Vanroboys PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:40. Second Period No scoring. Penalties – Sanda Coq (high-sticking) 2:25, WatsonBrawn PG (tripping) 15:55. Third Period 2. Prince George, Lee 1, 10:02 3. Coquitlam, Wildauer 2 (DiPaulo, Kimens) 15:58
4. Prince George, Brar 1 (Anhorn, Manz) 18:27 (pp) Penalties – Walton Coq (high-sticking) 12:34, Westgard Coq (slashing) 18:19, Kimens Coq (cross-checking), Watson-Brawn PG (roughing) 19:10. Overtime 5. Prince George, Vanroboys 1 (Coyle, Ahac) 1816 (pp) Penalties – Schulting Coq (fighting, game misconduct), Watson-Brawn PG (fighting, game misconduct) 10:25, Robillard Coq (tripping) 17:15. Shots on goal by Coquitlam 7 9 9 4 -29
Prince George 7 10 10 12 -39
Goal – Coquitlam, Matthews (L,0-1); Prince George, Neaton (W,2-0).
Power plays – Coq: 03; PG: 2-5. Referees – Matt Hicketts, Nick Panter; Linesmen –Anthony Mallett, Ryley Balsam. Attendance – 1,241. Scratches – Coquitlam: D Kabir Gill (healthy), F Connor Gregga
felt today. Lindsay spearheaded the drive for a players’ association and was its first president. The NHL Players’ Association, formally ratified as a labour organization in 1967, honoured him in 2010 by renaming its MVP award the Ted Lindsay Award trophy. Lindsay normally helps hand out the trophy on NHL awards night. But he was absent June 20, 2018, in Las Vegas when the award went to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the second straight year.
“Ted couldn’t be here tonight, but he’s sure watching at home,” said co-presenter Eric Lindros. “We know he’s proud of all three of our finalists.”
Luke Perry, 90210 heartthrob, dies at 52
Lynn ELBER Citizen news service
LOS ANGELES — Luke Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210, died Monday after suffering a massive stroke, his publicist said. He was 52.
Perry was surrounded by family and friends when he died, publicist Arnold Robinson said. The actor had been hospitalized since last Wednesday, after a 911 call summoned medical help to his home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles.
“The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning,” Robinson said in a statement.
Those at Perry’s bedside included his children, Jake and Sophie; fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer; former wife, Minnie Sharp, and mother Ann Bennett.
Perry had played construction company owner Fred Andrews, father of main character Archie Andrews, for three seasons on Riverdale, the CW series that gives a dark take on Archie comics. A fourth season has been slated. 90210 co-star Ian Ziering paid tribute to his co-star on Twitter , where fans and celebrities shared their memories of Perry and mourned him.
“I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last thirty years,” Ziering said.
“May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind.”
Born and raised in rural Fredericktown, Ohio, Perry gained fame on Beverly Hills, 90210, which ran from 1990 to 2000.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he recounted being partly inspired to pursue acting by a photo of Paul Newman his mother kept on her mirror.
He played out the memory of hearing his mother say, “He’s the
most beautiful man in the world, honey... he’s a movie star.”
“I thought, ‘OK, that’s cool.’ I watched him and, ‘Yeah, man, who didn’t want to be Paul Newman!”’
But Perry expanded his interests far beyond acting, identifying history as a passion and family a priority.
“When you are younger you can have only work, and I did for a long time,” he told the AP in 2006.
“But it doesn’t command my attention that way anymore. A lot of the mysteries and the questions I had
about it I’ve figured out, but life offers up mysteries every day.”
He had roles in a handful of films, including The Fifth Element, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 8 Seconds and American Strays, appeared in HBO’s prison drama Oz as a televangelist convicted of fraud, and voiced cartoons including The Incredible Hulk and Mortal Kombat. The actor’s next big screen role will be in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which is slated for release in July. He made his Broadway musical
debut as Brad in the The Rocky Horror Picture Show and starred on London’s West End in another stage adaptation of a film, When Harry Met Sally.
In recent years he starred in the series Ties That Bind and Body of Proof.
The same day he was hospitalized, Fox TV announced that it would be running a six-episode return of 90210 featuring most of the original cast, but Perry was not among those announced.
On the original series, Perry’s character went from loner to part
of a close-knit circle that included twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh (Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley), but also endured a string of romantic, family and other setbacks, including drug addiction.
Perry left the series in 1995 to pursue other roles, returning in 1998 for the rest of the show’s run as a guest star. In a 2011 interview with the AP, Perry said he and his male co-stars were a “really good strong core group” while the show aired and maintained close ties.
Spielberg, Netflix clash on award eligibility
Citizen news service
Steven Spielberg is taking on Netflix.
At this year’s annual post-Oscars meeting, the filmmaker, who’s representing directors as an Academy governor, will speak out against considering streamed films for awards, IndieWire reported. He feels that the streaming service should only compete for Emmy awards, the entertainment industry news site said.
“Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation,” a spokesperson from Amblin, Spielberg’s production company, told IndieWire, adding that the Hollywood director hopes others will join his campaign at the meeting next month. “He will see what happens.”
Netflix fired back late Sunday, without naming Spielberg, in a tweet that proclaimed the service’s love of cinema and said it also loves providing wider access to movies and “giving filmmakers more ways to share art.”
“These things are not mutually exclusive,” Netflix said in the tweet.
Netflix made Roma available to stream with a limited release in theaters to qualify for an Oscar this year.
Spielberg, who has won a bestpicture award with Schindler’s List, is one of the three Academy governors of the directors branch, one of 17 that make up the film body. The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission, according to the Oscars website.
Roma was the favourite to win the Academy Award for best picture before Green Book took the prize at the awards Feb. 24. Before the event, Roma had a 33 percent chance of winning, according to the Hollywood Reporter, while the Gold Derby gave it a 4-1 shot. Roma was the first nominee for best picture that was essentially a digital release and if it had won, Netflix would have been the first technology company to clinch Hollywood’s top prize.
Luke Perry posed for a portrait during the 2018 Television
Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif.
LAWRENCE WRIGHT June 30, 1956February 23, 2019
It is with great
by his family and friends.
by his wife Corrine, his daughter Michelle and his sons
Sir Armand James Denicola
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Sir Armand James Denicola, March 1st 2019 at the age of 96. Recipient of the rank of the Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour. Armand came to Prince George from Italy in 1925 at the age of three. Other than his time in the Chilcotin as a cowboy and his service with the Canadian Scottish Regiment in WWII, Prince George has always been his home. Armand is survived by his wife Doreen of 54 years; his children Drew and wife Kelly, Sanna, Neal and wife Brenda, his grandchildren Ashleigh, Natasha, Scott, Shailen, Alisha, Simon, Chris and Amy, and great grandchildren Ciaran, Abigail and Lucia. He is pre-deceased by his parents Antonio and Maria, his brother Joe and sister Lucy, nephew Tony and granddaughter Kira. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the Prince George Legion Branch 43 or the Prince George Hospice Society. Service will be held at Blackburn Community Hall on March 21st 2019 at 1:00pm.
These are indicative wholesale rates for
provided by the Bank of
on Monday. Quotations in
funds.
The markets today
Canada’s main stock index started the month by losing some ground after a sizzling start to the year.
“Even with today’s decline... we’re still up 11, 11.5 per cent on Toronto and New York, just in the first two months of the year, so I think the markets have been a little bit oversold,” said Michael Currie, vice-president and investment adviser at TD Wealth.
The Toronto market’s fall was led by weakness in the energy sector, which lost 1.7 per cent after Enbridge said it was delaying its Line 3 pipeline startup. Oil heavyweights Enbridge Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources fell by 4.5 to 5.8 per cent.
The decreases came despite a rise in crude oil prices on production curtailments by OPEC and Russia. The April crude contract was up 79 cents at US$56.59 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was down 0.2 of a cent at US$2.86 per mmBTU.
Overall, the S&P/TSX composite index closed down 30.12 points to 16,038.13, after hitting an intraday low of 15,954.96. The energy decline was partially offset by gains by the materials and industrials sectors. Railroads Canadian National and Canadian Pacific saw stock increases on the prospect of more crude by rail.
“So unfortunately energy’s pain is the railroads’s gain,” Currie said. Gold prices fell for a sixth straight day with the April gold contract down US$11.70 at US$1,287.50 an ounce and the May copper contract was down 2.3 cents at US$2.91 a pound.
Despite the price drops, stocks of gold miners Goldcorp Inc. and Barrick Gold Corp. gained more than three per cent after Newmont Mining Corp. rejected a hostile takeover offer from Barrick Gold and countered with a proposal of its own.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 206.67 points at 25,819.65. The S&P 500 index was down 10.88 points at 2,792.81, while the Nasdaq composite was down 17.79 points at 7,577.57.
The Canadian dollar traded at an average of 75.09 cents US compared with an average of 75.41 cents US on Friday.
While March has historically been a positive month for markets, there could be a correction after being overbought in January and February, said Currie. “We’re certainly not looking for a dramatic decline, but the standard two to three per cent pullback from here I don’t think in the next quarter would be surprise,” he said. “I’d probably preach patience and just enjoy the gains we’ve had so far.”
Nostalgia surrounds the Concorde
Citizen news service
The speed and elegant appearance of the Concorde inspired awe.
Its ear-rattling sonic booms irritated people on the ground and led to restrictions on where the jet could fly.
The Concorde’s maiden flight was 50 years ago this month.
Although the plane went out of service in 2003, its delta-wing design and drooping nose still make it instantly recognizable even to people who have never seen one in person.
The Concorde was the world’s first supersonic passenger plane.
It was a technological marvel and a source of pride in Britain and France, whose aerospace companies joined forces to produce the plane.
Its first flight occurred on March 2, 1969, in Toulouse, France.
The test flight lasted 28 minutes. British Airways and Air France launched passenger flights in 1976.
With four jet engines and afterburners, the plane could fly at twice the speed of sound and cruised at close to 60,000 feet, far above other airliners.
It promised to revolutionize long-distance travel by cutting flying time from the U.S. East Coast to Europe from eight hours to three and a half hours.
Depending on the layout, the plane could seat up to 128 passengers, far fewer than on many other planes flying the trans-Atlantic routes.
The relative scarcity of seats and the plane’s high operating costs made tickets expensive –typically several thousand dollars – so it was mostly reserved for the wealthy and famous, occasionally royalty.
In the U.S., the plane flew mainly to New York and Washington and attracted quite a buzz. In the mid-1980s, men dressed as Union and Confederate soldiers to re-enact a Civil War battle in Virginia paused in mid-skirmish to gaze up at a Concorde flying into nearby Dulles Airport.
A Concorde captain raved that the plane flew beautifully, and that the only indication of its speed came from looking down at other jets far below that seemed as if they were flying backward – the Concorde was moving about 1,300 km/h faster.
Jamie Baker, an airline analyst and aviation enthusiast, took the plane from New York to London in 2002.
Perhaps because it was a morning flight, the mood was more dignified than festive, Baker says.
The ride was so smooth that there was hardly any sensation of flight.
“No turbulence. No sense of motion, save for the clouds passing by below us,” Baker says.
“Concorde was a tool devised to outwit time.”
Former Boeing engineer Peter Lemme recalls his 1998 flight as a delight, but cramped.
“The seats were more like what we flew domestically in coach,” he says. “The food was excessive,” including caviar, and there was a duty-free cart piled with very expensive items. However, the Concorde never caught on widely.
The plane’s economics were challenging, and its sonic booms led it to be banned on many overland routes. Only 20 were built; 14 of which were used for passenger service.
As time went on, flights were disrupted by
mechanical breakdowns including engine failures and a broken rudder. Reviewers complained about the small cabin, noise, and vibrations that started during takeoff and continued once airborne. The plane’s darkest day came on July 25, 2000, when an Air France Concorde crashed into a hotel and exploded shortly after takeoff in Paris, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. Investigators determined that the plane ran over a metal strip that had fallen off another jet on to the runway, damaging a tire. A piece of the tire crashed into the underside of the wing, shockwaves
CITIZEN NEWS SERVICE PHOTO
In this June 14, 1974 file photo, the Air France Concorde supersonic airliner touches down at Miami International Airport.
Above, in this March 2, 1969, file photo, the British-French supersonic airliner Concorde prototype 001 lands after completing its maiden flight, with a break parachute streaming from the back, at the Blagnac Airport in Toulouse, France. Below, this February 1967 file photo shows a full scale mock-up of the British-French supersonic airliner Concorde at the British Aircraft Corporation factory at Filton, Bristol, England.
